In 2016, President Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee to win the state of Michigan since 1988, when President George H.W. Bush swept 40 states. Trump’s success in Michigan might already be a thing of the past — a new poll from the firm EPIC-MRA found a staggering 16 percent lead for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the state. In the poll, Biden had 55 percent of the support compared to just 39 percent for Trump.
That’s an additional 3 percent tacked onto Biden’s lead since the previous EPIC-MRA poll, which was conducted on some of the same days. The more recent poll collected opinions on a couple of additional, more recent days, including time after news broke of a violent police attack on peaceful protesters outside the White House shortly before the president held a photo op at a local church on June 1. That incident unfolded amidst rising nationwide tension against police brutality, which sparked nationwide protests.
In the most recent EPIC-MRA poll, a full 70 percent of Michigan respondents said that they think the country is on the wrong track. Only 63 percent said so in the previous EPIC-MRA poll. In the latest poll, a full 61 percent of Michigan respondents said that they have a negative view of Donald Trump, which clearly does not bode well for his re-election chances. In the most recent poll, only 38 percent of respondents said that they had a positive view of the president, who has majorly bungled responses to the Coronavirus pandemic, nationwide anti-police brutality protests, and more.
Notably, these great numbers for a presidential ticket with Biden on it actually aren’t unprecedented, which lends them some extra credence. In 2008, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and then-vice presidential candidate Biden won Michigan by over 16 percent — about the same leading margin found for Biden in the state in the new EPIC-MRA poll. In 2012, Obama and Biden’s leading margin fell slightly, but they still won Michigan with a lead of 9.5 percent. Currently, Biden leads in polling averages on the national level and in Wisconsin, Florida, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, according to RealClearPolitics.
Biden’s campaign messaging has recently seized on some of the major issues of the moment. He tweeted recently:
‘I wish I could say this hate began with Donald Trump and will end with him. It didn’t, and it won’t. American history isn’t a fairytale with a guaranteed happy ending. It’s up to all of us to do the hard work to ensure the American ideal finally wins out.’
I wish I could say this hate began with Donald Trump and will end with him. It didn’t, and it won’t. American history isn’t a fairytale with a guaranteed happy ending.
It's up to all of us to do the hard work to ensure the American ideal finally wins out. pic.twitter.com/iUyi82zXN7
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 15, 2020
That contrasts staggeringly with Trump’s own response to anti-police brutality protests, which he repeatedly threatened to have the military confront.
Biden added recently:
‘Dreamers are Americans. But Trump’s ripped away the hard-won protections of DACA recipients, throwing their lives into upheaval. It’s unacceptable, and on day one of my presidency I will protect them from deportation and send a bill to Congress.’
Dreamers are Americans. But Trump's ripped away the hard-won protections of DACA recipients, throwing their lives into upheaval. It’s unacceptable, and on day one of my presidency I will protect them from deportation and send a bill to Congress. https://t.co/YlvFuCaTrZ
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 16, 2020
Trump, of course, has founded much of his presidency on harassing immigrants at just about every possible turn, including through his efforts to remove protections for beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects undocumented immigrants who arrived as children. The contrast between Trump and Biden seems clear.
